Tasnia’s furious growls raised the hairs on Cassiel’s neck. He tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt. He took a step, but her rabid snarls warned him to stop. The wolf snapped her teeth inches from Dyna’s neck.
“I tore them limb from limb,” Zev said, his tone turning cold and goading. Tasnia’s glowing eyes cut to him, lips pulling over glistening teeth. “I gutted them, like the animals they were. I turned Owyn to a mangled piece of flesh. When he couldn’t do more than beg, I broke his neck. And Ienjoyedit.”
Tasnia launched at him, and he fell under her weight. Zev deflected her bites, his clawed hands keeping her jaws at bay. Cassiel grabbed Dyna and yanked her away from them. A silver light filled the clearing as a full white sphere beamed in the clear night sky.
“Take her away from here!” Zev shouted at Cassiel. Fear, desperation, and pain swam on his face. It was all he managed to say.
His eyes rolled, and he flopped on the ground, convulsing violently. Zev screamed as his bones broke and reformed. His back snapped and bent, muscles writhing and stretching under his skin. Sharp claws grew from his fingers and toes. Black fur sprouted all over his shuddering body, a long tail extending behind him. His face twisted and stretched, forming into a drooling snout full of sharp teeth.
Zev was gone.
In his place, a huge hybrid of a man and wolf stood on two legs and howled at the sky.
The Other.
Tasnia did not run. The beast grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up in the air. The wolf didn’t even struggle. She simply hung in its clawed hand, accepting her fate. Her gasping breaths grew weaker and weaker as the Other squeezed. Cassiel flinched at the crunch of bone. The wolf fell limp and was tossed aside into the bushes.
The Other’s glowing eyes focused on him next. With only one chained hand, nothing was keeping it restrained.
Run, instinct commanded, but fear rooted Cassiel to the ground. He could not move or tear his sight away from the monstrosity now hunting him.
He didn’t realize Dyna had left his side until he spotted her behind the Other with the second manacle. She inched toward it, but the chains clinked. The beast spun to her and roared. She screamed, the chains slipping from her trembling hands. It swiped at her, and the blow threw her across the clearing. She smashed against a boulder with an awfulcrack. Blood gushed from her hip to her thigh where her dress was slashed apart. The Other bound for her, drool seeping from its sharp teeth.
Dyna shook her head. “No, Zev!”
It lunged and bit into her shoulder. Her piercing scream rang in the forest. Blood gushed down her back, soaking her clothes. The Other began dragging her away.
Move!The thought launched Cassiel out of his stupor. He sprinted for them. He pumped his wings and soared into the air, releasing a furious bellow. The beast turned as he rammed his boot hard in its face. The kick stunned the Other enough to release her from its jaws. Cassiel snatched Dyna from the ground and carried her into the air.
She clung to him, her hands shaking on his chest. “We have to chain him to the tree. The wolfsbane, I dropped it somewhere. But if you can get it—”
“Are you mad? I’m not going anywhere near that thing.”
“If Zev runs off, he may kill someone. We must restrain him!”
The Other circled the ground below, watching them through hungry, glowing eyes. The chains dragged behind it, still attached to one of its front paws. Cassiel didn’t care if the beast ran off as long as it left.
Dyna’s fingers brushed his cheek. He jolted at the touch and met her sad gaze. Tears glistened like pearls on her lashes.
“Please,” she pleaded, her voice breaking. “Please help him.”
She was placing her faith in him as she had done in Hilos. As much as he didn’t want to get involved, he couldn’t refuse her when she looked at him like that.
“He only needs to be chained to the tree with the other manacle.”
As if it were that simple.
The beast lunged at them. Cassiel dodged the snapping teeth by a hair’s breadth. He flew higher and placed Dyna on the tallest branch of a tree. The Other made another leap. Cassiel used the opening to fly down and grab the other end of the chains.
He remained grounded, facing off with the beast. It prowled forward, iridescent eyes catching the moonlight. Cassiel forced himself to take a breath, his body buzzing with adrenaline. The chains rattled in his quivering hands as the creature circled him.
He opened the manacle. All he had to do was chain the Other to the tree. How difficult could that be?
The Other dove through the air for him. Cassiel sprinted forward and slid on the ground, coming out from behind. It snarled and spun for him again. He flew into the air. Using all his strength, he slung the chains and lassoed them around the Other’s body. He wrenched it backward with the force of his wings, knocking it off its feet.
He stalled for a second, surprised it worked. With all the strength he could muster, Cassiel dragged the heavy beast to the tree. But the Other quickly untangled itself from the chains and lunched at him. Cassiel evaded the slash of claws tearing through his shirt. Feet tripping, he landed heavily on his hands. He slapped at his chest, feeling damn fortunate to find it intact.
Realizing he fell where Dyna had dropped the wolfsbane, he dared look away from the beast for a second to search the carpet of leaves. His fingers closed over a familiar round shape.
